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News Release RI Department of Environmental Management 235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908 (401) 222-2771 TDD/(401) 222-4462
DEM ACCEPTING COMMENTS ON NEW DRAFT STORMWATER GENERAL PERMIT The goal of the draft general permit is to reduce pollution from stormwater systems in urban areas owned by local, state and federal governments in accordance with new federal Clean Water Act requirements. Thirty-three of Rhode Island's 39 municipalities have stormwater systems in urban areas and will be required to obtain permits for their stormwater discharges under the so-called Phase II Stormwater Rules that became effective last spring. The draft general permit encompasses the requirements of those rules and allows municipalities and other public entities to obtain permit coverage through a streamlined application and permitting process rather than being required to submit an application for an individualized permit. To obtain a permit, each municipality must file an application with DEM and develop a local stormwater management program. Last summer, DEM awarded the 33 municipalities a total of $825,000 in grants from the Rhode Island Clean Water Trust Fund to develop their stormwater management plans. Permits will also be required for stormwater systems owned or operated by state or federal agencies for facilities that serve more than 1,000 people per day, such as military bases and hospital complexes, and for Department of Transportation stormwater systems that are in urbanized areas or serve divided highways, such as Route 95. The draft general permit allows municipalities flexibility to develop cost-effective local programs for their municipal stormwater systems that utilize best management practices to address local water quality issues. The programs must include public education and outreach, public involvement and participation, illicit discharge detection and elimination, construction site stormwater runoff control, post-construction stormwater management, and pollution prevention or "good housekeeping" for municipal operations. The programs must also include water quality restoration requirements, known as total maximum daily loads (TMDLs), if applicable. DEM is obliged under the federal Clean Water Act to require implementation of these stormwater control measures for publicly owned systems. Such control measures are already in place for a number of industrial facilities and for construction sites of over five acres, based on previously enacted Phase I Stormwater Rules. Stormwater runoff is a significant source of water pollution. Generated by precipitation, the water that runs off pavements and other surfaces can wash sediments, oil, grease, toxics, nutrients, pathogens and other pollutants into nearby storm drains that discharge to local streams and waterways. The draft general permit can be found on DEM's website at www.dem.ri.gov, by clicking on the link to the public hearing on the events page. It is also available by calling Margarita Chatterton at 222-4700 ext. 7605 on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The public hearing will take place on March 13 at 6 p.m. in Room 300 at DEM Headquarters, 235 Promenade Street, Providence, with public comment accepted at DEM's Office of Water Resources in the same building until 4 p.m. on March 14. The hearing room is accessible to people with disabilities, and interpreter services for the hearing impaired will be provided if a request is made at least 48 hours in advance in writing or by calling 222-6800 or TDD 222-4462. -30- |
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